Base-ball-game apparatus.



Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

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I Q E A TTOHNE YS J. W. E. DEAN. BASE BALL GAME APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED MAR.11,-1908.

Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

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WITNESSES ATTORNEYS- FMOYOMTHOGHAPNERS. WASHINGTON, D. c.

PATENT @FFTCE.

JOHN WESLEY EARL DEAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BASE-BALL-GAME APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN WESLEY EARL DEAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of the Bronx, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Base-Ball-Game Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and ex act description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in apparatus for playing a game closely analogous to the ordinary game of baseball, but played by operating dummy players mounted on a suitable support representing the field and diamond.

Various different forms of apparatus have been devised for analogous purposes, but the special object of my invention is to provide a construction so simple that it may be manufactured and sold at a very small cost, but which will operate as efliciently as the more expensive forms previously constructed.

In my improved game apparatus, 1 provide a suitable supporting board having four dummy players rigidly secured thereto, two of said players serving to constitute the pitching and batting means, and the other two players occupying positions analogous to that of the catcher and umpire, but serving as retaining and releasing means for the pitcher and batter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures, and in which Figure 1 is a plan viewof one form of game apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section through a portion of the support and showing the batting means and its retaining means in side elevation; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the pitching means and its retaining means; and Fig. is a transverse section on the line 4 l of Fig. 3.

In the specific form of my improved apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings, I provide a suitable support 10, preferably in the form of a board, and to this board are rigidly secured four dummy players, including a batter 11, a pitcher 12, a player 13 occupying the position usually occupied by the catcher and serving as a retaining means for the batter, and a player 14: occupying the position usually occupied Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 11, 1908.

Patented Dec. Z, 1909.

Serial No. 420,427.

by the umpire and serving as a retaining means for the pitcher. The board does not represent the entire diamond of a baseball field, but preferably only a portion thereof. The home plate 15 is marked at the proper place beside the batter and two diagonal base-lines 16 and 17 extend to the edges of the board to represent the base-lines to the first and third bases. In conjunction with the board, I preferably use a large sheet of paper or cloth 18, upon which the board 10 is placed, and this sheet represents the field. On the sheet are marked the first, second and third bases 19, 20 and 21, which may be connected by the usual base lines 22, 23, 24 and 25, the first and last of which are in alinement with the base lines 16 and 17 on the support 10. Disposed about the field are preferably seven dummy players 26, representing the three fielders, the three base -men and the short stop. These players 26 may be printed on the fabric or may be formed of wood and fas tened thereto. They do not take any active part in the game.

The body of the batter is preferably rigidly secured in place and to the back thereof is rigidly secured a suitable spring 27 The spring represents the batters arm and carries at its outer or free end a bat 28 adapted to swing in a substantially horizontal plane when the outer end thereof is released. Behind the batter, at one side thereof, is mounted the dummy player 13, which is also preferably rigidly secured to the base and carries a pivoted arm 29 having a hook at its outer end adapted to enter a loop 30 in the rear side of the bat at its outer end. The arm 29 is secured to the player 13 by a suitable pivot 31, and means are provided for raising and lowering the arm to bring it into and out of operative position. The arm is preferably formed of a piece of wire and extends downwardly from the pivot to form an operative lever 32 terminating adjacent the support. At the opposite end of the support from the players 11 and 13 are the players 12 and 1 1, the former of which constitutes the pitching means and the latter of which constitutes the retaining means therefor. The body of the player 12 is rigidly secured in place and at the back thereof there is provided a spring arm 33 having a free end adapted to vibrate in a substantially horizontal plane. At the outer end of the spring arm there is provided suitable means for holding a ball, said means being preferably formed by a plurality ot loops of wire 34, arranged to form a reta1ner or hand, from which the ball may be easily thrown by the releasing of the spring arm when the latter is under tension. At the outer end of the spring arm is a loop analogous to the loop 30 at the outer end of the bat, and into this loop may extend the hooked end of the arm 36 pivoted to the player 14-. The player 14: is similar in all respects to the player 13, and lncludes an operating lever 37 corresponding to the lever 32 and extending downwardly to a point adjacent the support. For operating the arms 29 and 36 ot' the players 13 and 14, I provide suitable wires arranged within the support, and having their ends connected to suitable operating members. A wire'38 leads from the lower end of the operating arm 3'! through an opening to the under side of the support 10 and thence through a channel to a point adjacent the opposite end of the support, where it passes upward again through an opening to the upper side of the support, and is connected to an operating member 10. From the lower end of the arm 32, a wire 41 extends through an aperture to the under surface of the board, thence to one end of a lever 4C2 disposed intermediate the pitcher and batter. The lever is pivoted interme- :liate its ends and to the opposite end a wire .3 leads to the rear of the batter'and thence upward through an opening to an operating member 4A: adjacent and analogous to the operating member 40.

In playing the game, the cloth or paper field is preferably spread upon a table, and the board 10 placed thereon with the base lines in proper alinement and rigidly fastened to the table by any suitable form of clamps 4-5. The pitchers arm is bent backward to the position shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 3, and the hook at the end of the arm 36 is caught into the loop 35, to re tain the spring arm of the pitcher under compression. The batters arm is then bent backward to place the spring 27 under tension and is held in position as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 by the engagement of the loop 80 with the arm 29. A small ball of any suitable character is placed in the hand or receiver at the end of the pitchers arm. By moving rearwardly the operating member 10, the wire is pulled to release the arm 36 and release the spring arm 33 of the pitcher. This projects the ball in the direction of the batter and at the proper instant the operating member 1 1 is moved rearwardly to raise the arm 29 and release the spring arm of the batter. The tension of the pitchers arm and the shape of the hand is so adjustable that the path of movement of the ball will be intercepted by the bat, .so that if the person playing the game has sufiicient skill,

' the bat may be released to strike the ball and send it out onto the field.

The game apparatus is very simple in construction, and there are no parts which can easily become disarranged or get out proper working order. All of the parts carried by the support 10 are permanently attached thereto, so that they cannot become lost or misplaced.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a game apparatus of the character described, a support, two uprights on the support, one in rear of the other, a spring arm carried by one upright, an arm on the other upright and adapted to engage the spring arm to hold it in operative position, n

and means for operating the said arm, whereby it may be disengaged from the spring arm to release the same.

2. In a game apparatus of the character described, a support, two uprights fixedly.

secured upon the support, one in rear of.

the other, a spring arm having one end secured to one of the uprights and provided at its free end with means for holding a ball, a pivoted arm on the other upright and hav ing a member adapted to engage the spring armto hold the latter under tension, and means for operating the pivoted arm to re lease the spring arm.

4. In a game apparatus of the character described, a support, two dummy figures fixedly secured upon the support,one in rear of the other, a spring arm secured at one end to one figure and provided with a loop or eye, said arm constituting a bat, an arm pivoted intermediate of its ends on a horizontal pivot to the other figure and having a hook on one end for engaging the hook or eye of the spring arm, and means connected with the other end of the pivoted arm for operating it.

5. In a game apparatus of the character described, a support, two dummy figures fiX- edly secured upon the support, one in rear of the other, a spring arm secured at one end to one of the figures and provided at its free end with a plurality of loops forming a ball holding device and with an eye, an arm pivoted intermediate of its ends on a horizontal pivot to the other figure, and having a hook at one end adapted to engage the eye of the.

spring arm, and means connected with the other end of the pivoted arm for operating it.

6. In a game apparatus of the character 1 and connecting the operating device with 10 described, a support having a longitudinal i the pivoted arm. channel, two dummy figures on the support, i In testimony whereof I have signed my one in rear of the other, a spring arm carried name to this specification in the presence 01": by one figure, an arm pivoted on the other two subscribing Witnesses. figure intermediate of its ends and adapted JOHN WESLEY EARL DEAN. to engage With one end of the spring arm, an Vitnesses: operating device on the support, and a mem- CLAIR W. FAIRBANK, oer extending in the channel of the support 1 JOHN P. DAVIS. 

